Entertain Alfresco This Winter

Throw an unforgettable party over the festive season

Whilst during the Summer our gardens are used to their full potential for relaxing and socialising, once Autumn is upon us, many of us allow our outside spaces to fall into disuse. Given the colder weather and longer, darker evenings it's only natural to spend our Winter evenings wrapped up indoors- but it needn't be this way!

As Christmas approaches and temperatures decline, there's no reason not to make the most of your garden, patio or terrace this Autumn and Winter. Check out our suggestions below for creating an ultra-appealing outside space along with the ideal environment for some festive entertaining.

Create A Warm Welcome:The infra-red heaters in our Outdoor Living Pod will keep you warm from day to night.

Ensuring your guests remain warm and comfortable is crucial when hosting an outdoor gathering this Autumn and Winter. This can be achieved with a contemporary fire pit, which provides a useful cooking space along with distributing a generous amount of heat to the surrounding environment. In fact, fire pits were voted the 'must-have garden accessory this year,' due to their warm glow that entices guests to linger around the fire.

Alternatively, patio heaters are an excellent option for ensuring guests can sit outside late into the night without the need to grab an extra layer. For more ideas, check out our Guide To Patio Heaters where we've selected our favourite designs for providing plenty of heat whilst creating a stylish focal point on your patio or terrace. And for something a little more permanent, remember our Outdoor Living Pod has a custom built-in infra-red radiant heater to keep you lovely and warm on the coldest of nights.

As the nights draw in, good lighting is essential for creating an inviting alfresco atmosphere along with providing navigation for guests wandering around your garden. Essentially, there are four main types of outside lighting to consider, ranging from security lamps to decorative lighting, portable fixtures and fitted designs.

Elegant wall lights will illuminate the outside of your home, whilst festoon lights will take your get-together from noon to night at the touch of a button. And for a sophisticated table centrepiece, you can't go wrong with a classic lantern in a metallic finish for a look that's totally on-trend. Click here for our Outdoor Lighting Masterclass, or for something a little more festive, check out our pick of this year's best Outdoor Christmas Lights.

Outdoor furniture is key for any garden gathering, and whether you own a wooden, metal or rattan set, it's important to care for your furniture in order to keep it looking its best ahead of your guest's arrival. This could involve coating your wooden furniture with a stained oil to keep it fully protected, or using a pressure washer to ensure your metal table and chairs remain in tiptop condition, as featured in our guide to Caring For Your Garden Furniture.

This said, the beauty of our Outdoor Living Pod is that it offers complete coverage by keeping furniture fully protected from the outside elements, so there's no need to worry about furniture covers etc.

Add Ambience: Finishing touches set the perfect party setting.

Last but by no means least, creating ambience is an essential component for any get-together, whether that's inside or out. Safely-positioned candles are a great way to add warmth and movement to your outside dinner table, whilst a couple of evergreen plants add instant style to your outside space. Photinia is a great choice for the festive season as it's often associated with Christmas due to its festive-coloured red shoots and glossy green leaves. Similarly, Box is ideal for Winter, as it can be clipped into a small, formal display which looks effortlessly elegant when draped with a clear string of fairy lights.

When it comes to soft furnishings, cushions and faux fur throws are key for bringing a homely touch to your outside space. Finally, no party is complete without some music! Create a playlist so you can let the music look after itself, or enjoy the innovative built-in speakers within the post uprights of our Outdoor Living Pod which will deliver stunning crystal-clear sound all night long.

OUTDOOR LIVING | SOLAR SHADING

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